Looking for pics or links to the different ways that people mount air bag .Front and rear.Looking for ideas for a custom frame I`m building.I plan on using a front clip from a S10 so if you know of any pics of bagged S10 front ends let me know.thanks
There isnt much to bagging the front end of a s-10, some bag cups up top, lower mount welded to the a-arm, cut out the upper spring cup for clearance for the bag, and possibly have to notch for the steering linkage. Thats the front upper and lower cups for s10s.
Heres a pic I got off the HAMB of a bag over leaf set up in the rear. I don't remember what was all to it, but I imagine that if you need to know someone will remember
you can literally bag an s-10 front end and be driving it all within 2 hrs. they are that damn simple. Make sure you trim the spring pockets for bag clearance. some frame and maybe control arm clearancing will help get it lower. Tie rod clearance shouldnt be needed unless you run a 26" tall tire or bigger
Here is the rear suspension on my 55 Olds, Z-link/step notched rear and the front is just cups like the ones above.
How do you know what bags to run? If you have a bag that requires too little, or too much air for the ride height, the ride suffers, doesn't it? Too harsh one way, or too soft. I hope i asked that the right way. Sounded good in my head. I've been hearing a lot about a "bad" ride with bags. Is there a formula as to the weight of each end of your car for the bag requirement?
there's really not much science to bag selection. on front suspensions, you're often limited to what will fit, generally the smallest bag available, like an airlift 2B6. it's compact, but generally has enough lift to go from bumpstop to the rebound snubber in most applications. i try to use the same size in the rear, to keep it all the same. now if you're bagging a lincoln continental, you should find a way to make a bigger bag work all around. i wouldn't run a bigger bag in the rear because most of the weight is up front. IMHO i think the poor ride on some cars comes from the installation, people will use bags to get the car to lay frame without any other considerations. then to get the car to a driveable height again, they need to inflate the bags to nearly full pressure, giving a rough choppy ride. i try to pay attention to the total package, and make the car driveable at all heights, no matter what it takes. actually, i build the cars specifically to drive low, and only raise it higher to clear obstacles(lots of them here). i however, don't set out to lay frame, at least in the front. this way i can run a low pressure, drive at a low height, and the suspension will bottom out before anything hits the ground, keeping it safe and comfy. i think the last inch difference between being really low and laying frame is not worth the h***le of the trade off of the gimmick of laying frame, but having to air it fully up to prevent damage. that was kind of a long answer. the short one: the smaller bags work well on average size cars and smaller, ie, 50's chevys, fords, etc. 60's luxo-boats should have the larger size bags.
question- can i use s-10 cups on a g-body?. my pop's truck has a g-body front clip and i can't find any cups for it. sorry for the hi-jack fitz
Yo Fitzee...Go to www.Ruffrodders.com scroll down to builds and check out all the photos guys have posted on bagging mercs and shoeys.
All of the cars I know of that are bagged ride better with 'em, according to the owners. Mine, for one, is much smoother than before I installed 'em. Keep in mind that the alternative is usually cut or torched springs, removed leaves, blocks, etc....it's natural that their opinion is a better ride with bags. There are, of course, ways to lower a car the right way without bags and keep the ride smooth, but most people take the cheap route. I run Continental bags, but the Firestones are more prevalant in my friend's cars. Like Ray was getting at, how the system is designed plays a big part in the ride. At ride height, my PSI is around 105...I can run a lot more pressure without affecting the ride, but it's designed so I don't have to. Bryan
Agian, great info. Now on the pressure topic.I am wondering on this.I want my chevy to lay frame but also want a nice ride. My frame will be custom made with the S10 front clip and where my body is shot,frame height in the car is not a issue.I will be channeling the body over the S10 clip.So if you have full pressure in the bags,the bag is a full height!!right??Let say it is a 10 inch high bag. Now for ride height or say 105 PSI,like what was said, is it safe to say that the bag is somewhere between 5 and 8 inch high?? Knowing this can I set up my car so that it has a nice ride (5 to 8 inchs of bag) at about 3 or 4 inch off the ground but still has room to rase it for the odd speed bump!!Am I on the right track?? I am new at this and need to learn as much on how bags work before I start this project.Thanks for all the help and info so far
when you bag it make sure you have the tires your gonna run on it .ive got a baggged s10 it has firestone 2500lb bags in the front i run 90-100 psi to clear the tires & the back has 2600lb bags over a mono leaf,with a c-notch ,i run about 30 psi, it rides really good, i also have 1 five gallon tank,1 viair 450 compressor & a square D 200psi adjustable pressure switch set at 140psi, all 3/8 d.o.t. lines & smc vales. i can lift the truck fully 1-2 times on 1 full tank of air. you can check prices for air stuff @ http://www.suicidedoors.com i think they have the best prices heres a pic of the truck & the rear set up.....& yeh i already know about the truck..... no comment please
I don't have any photos of my setup, but in front, I'm running 7" Slam Specialty bags, and in rear, I've got AirRide 2600s. I plan on switching those out to Slam 7" bags when I do a 4-link in the rear. Mind you, I'm running a car that weighs over 6500lbs, and the 2600s I had in front previously wouldn't lift the car 2" at full pressure (160lbs in my setup), so my bags are bigger than most people would need. Fronts are easy. Drill out a hole to insert the airline up in the top if you don't already have one, Notch out the spring pocket, bolt the bag to the cups, and replace the spring with the bag ***embly. Airline goes into the fitting, bag sits in place just dandy (On some cars, you may need to weld your lower bracket, or weld tabs that you can bolt down to the lower arm). On an S-10 front suspension, you can have it bagged in no time. Rear suspensions are a bit more tricky. That involves some welding, and design. houtex63; You can make your own cups if you have a welder, or call SuicideDoors, and they will make them as big as you want. Not to sound like a sales rep, but they've got the best stuff for a damn good price, and they will make you anything you need to get bags in the car.
in my opinion the BEST ride combo ive found (and it aint cheep) is 224c 4 ply conti tecs in the rear with shocks and xs-6 6'' slam bags up front.
then why did you post a pic of it! if yer an aliance member i will do my best to beat suicide doors prices..
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